Collecting Norbert(a)
by Niacin
Summary: Charlie Weasley collects Norbert(a) along with a colleague and Tonks


Houses Competition year 5

House: Hufflepuff

Class: Potions

Category: Drabble

Prompt: character(Charlie Weasley) and speech(Come here! You have to meet Tonks)

Word count: 973

_**Collecting Norbert(a)**_

With a drink in his hand, Charlie Weasley signed to Alexandru to come closer. Charlie looked intensely satisfied. "Come here, you have got to meet Tonks." The Romanian dragon keeper smiles amused, thinking his younger colleague looked more like a wagging dog than a wizard at the moment. The dusky room contained only a few candles that light up a large burn on the side of Alexandru's face where once an ear had been. At her name Tonks turned around, her dark twinkling eyes looked curiously at the two wizards as she said "I heard you needed a hand."

Alexandru looked confused. "I thought you'd agree this is a task that needs subtlety. Surely this is not.."

"No, no," Charlie butts in, "Tonks is exactly who we need."

"Her hair is bubble pink!" Alexandru protests.

Charlie chuckles relieved as he slaps Alexandru's back. "You've never said a word about my looks, right? And besides, this is very light pink, almost hazy brown, don't you think?" Alexandru does not look convinced, while Tonks looks affronted as her hair changes to a neon-like pink. "Ooooh, yes, this is much more familiar," Charlie softly whispers to Tonks with a soft smile playing on his lips.

They walked to the exit of the small muggle pub. "So why did you owl me, Charlie?" Tonks asks eagerly.

Charlie walks quickly into a blind alley, the other two follow. He grabs them and apparates. He tosses the brooms. "We are heading to Hogwarts." He then focuses on Tonks. "We are helping our old friend: Hagrid. We are collecting a dragon tonight."

"That's illegal," Tonks notes calmly. "So Hagrid would actually part it? As far as I knew Hagrid he would not even be convinced dementors are not the best company to hold."

Charlie had always been fond of Hagrid and his love of animals. "He lives in a wooden shed. Besides soon it will grow too large to keep inside a cabin. Though he needed some persuasion to get around. Or so I've heard." Charlies demeanour suddenly changes. He looked partly nervous, partly hopeful. It was very different from the calm, mischievous air that normally exuded from him. "You know, you could stay a few days at the reserve. If your auror training would allow it. I've missed you. I could show you around."

Tonks felt his longing stare and her leaping heart. Moody was very strict. He would be angry no matter what. Constant Vigilance! There was not much difference between being four days gone or six, she decides. "I might as well," she says trying to sound not as eager as she felt, while Charlie smiled back warmly trying not to show how victorious he felt having her around him again. Charlie pecks her lips, stubbornly ignoring Alexandru as they all mount their brooms.

Alexandru tries to catch Charlies attention. "You did not tell me you had a bird here in England. So that is why you never join them towards the Yellow Tavern."

"You could have joined them," Tonks affectionately scolds, "We broke it off. Remember?"

Charlie rolls his eyes. "Of course we did, so tell me, which poor handsome men have you entranced?"

Charlie feels oddly peaceful as he sees the castle distantly.

Tonks gave Charlie an odd look as she joked. "Well, auror training does require a good condition. Some of the men were quite charming. I hope you did not expect me to wait for you while you went off to Romania after dragons that could very well burn you alive on your first day?"

"You did not scare them away, did you?" Charlie asked. He now felt more relaxed, as if they were just good friend having a chat.

"Some of them," Tonks admitted. "When we just broke off. Muggle men. When they woke up I changed up my face to something like this." Her face changed up. Charlie laughed loudly as did Alexandru.

"I like her," Alexandru said. Tonks face was now very broad, with a reddish colour, and her nose was oddly long. She had dull grey eyes that were very small for her face.

Tonks then did an impression of a low voice. "Oh well, you look very hum.. exactly like I remember you from yesterday and.." Her face changes back as she heartily laughs. "Those poor guys are never drinking again."

They land on one of the towers of Hogwarts. As Tonks steps off her broom, her feet sticks and she falls into Charlie's arms. "Well, this is almost how we met, isn't it?" Tonks blurts out.

Charlie wraps her very closely for a second as he whispers into her ear. "It is, after curfew at the fourth floor in our second year, wasn't it? I bet the old witch in that painting is still gossiping about it." Tonks snorts as Charlie releases her and she walks away from him as they hear footsteps approach. Charlie walks forward as two hogwarts students appear: a girl with brown frizzy hair and a boy with black messy hair. Between them they hold a cage with a dragon. "Thank you, we will take good care of him. Tell Ron I said hi," Charlie says as he accepts the dragon from the first year students, who quickly sneak back into the castle. Charlie turns back around to Alexandru and Tonks. "Ready to sneak an illegal dragon over the border."

"Can't think of anything better to do," Alexandru answers.

Tonks shakes her head at Charlie. "I can't believe you asked an auror to do this."

"You are not an auror. You are still in training." Charlie rolled his eyes. "Besides I asked a dear friend. That is very sane." Tonks smiles warmly back. "Very sane indeed," she mumbles, as they all pull the dragon between them as they mount their brooms.


End file.
